A new Enterlude neuer before this tyme imprinted entreating of the Life and Repentaunce of Marie Magdalene not only godlie learned and fruitefull but also well furnished with pleasaunt myrth and pastime very delectable for those which shall heare or reade the same Made by the learned clarke Lewis Wager The names of the Players Infidelitie the Uice Marie Magdalene Pride of life Cupiditie Carnall Concupiscence Simon the Pharisie Malicious Iudgement The Lawe Knowledge of sinne Christ Iesus Fayth Repentaunce Iustification Loue. Foure may easely play this Enterlude Imprinted at London by Iohn Charlevvood dwelling in Barbican at the signe of the halfe Eagle and the Key Anno. 1566. The Prologue Nulla tam modesta felicitas est Quae malignantis dentes vitare possit NO state of man he it neuer so modest Neuer so vnrebukeable and blamelesse No person be he neuer so good and honest â–ª Can escape at any season now harmelesse But the wicked teeth of suche as be shamelesse Are ready most maliciously him for to byte Like as Ualerius in his fourth booke doth write We and other persons haue exercised This comely and good facultie a long season Which of some haue bene spitefully despised Wherefore I thinke they can alleage no reason Where affect ruleth there good iudgemeÌ„t is geason They neuer learned the verse of Horace doubtles Nec tua laudabis â—â—â—dia aut aliena reprehendes Thou shalt neither praise thyne owne industrie Nor yet the labour of other men reprehend The one procedeth of a proude arrogancie And the other from enuie which doth discommend All thyngs that vertuous persons doe intend For euill will neuer said well they do say And worse tungs were neuer heard before this day I maruell why they should detract our facultie We haue ridden and gone many sundry waies Yea we haue vsed this feate at the vniuersitie Yet neither wise nor learned would it dispraise But it hath ben perceiued euer before our dayes That foles loue nothing worse thaÌ„ foles to be called A horse will kick if you touche where he is galled Doth not our facultie learnedly extoll vertue Doth it not teache God to be praised aboue al thing â–ª What facultie doth vice more earnestly subdue Doth it not teache true obedience to the kyng What godly sentences to the mynde doth it bryng I saie there was neuer thyng inuented More worth for mans solace to be frequented Hipocrites that wold not haue their fautes reueled Imagine slaunder our facultie to let Faine wold they haue their wickednes still concealed Therfore maliciously against vs they be set O say they muche money they doe get Truely I say whether you geue halfpence or pence Your gayne shalbe double before you depart hence Is wisedom no more worth than a peny trow you Scripture calleth the price therof incomparable Here may you learne godly Sapience now Which to body and soule shal be profitable â–ª To no person truly we couet to be chargeable For we shall thinke to haue sufficient recompence If ye take in good worth our simple diligence In this matter whiche we are about to recite The ignorant may learne what is true beleue Wherof the Apostles of Christ do largely write Whose instructions here to you we wil geue Here an example of penance the heart to grieue May be lerned a loue which from Faith doth spring Authoritie of Scripture for the same we will bring Of the Gospell we shall rehearse a fruietfull story Written in the .vii. of Luke with wordes playne The storie of a woman that was right sory For that she had spent her life in sinne vile and vain By Christes preachyng she was conuerted agayn To be truly penitent by hir fruictes she declared And to shew hir self a sinner she neuer spared Hir name was called Mary of Magdalene So named of the title of hir possession Out of hir Christ reiected .vii. spirites vncleane As Mark and Luke make open profession Doctours of high learnyng witte and discretion Of hir diuers and many sentences doe write Whiche in this matter we intend now to recite Of the place aforesaid with the circumstance Onely in this matter God willing we will treate Where we will shewe that great was hir repentance And that hir loue towards Christ was also as great Hir sinne did not hir conscience so greuously freate But that Faith erected hir heart again to beleue That God for Christs sake wold all hir sins forgeue We desire no man in this poynt to be offended In that vertues with vice we shall here introduce For in men and women they haue depended And therfore figuratiuely to speake it is the vse I trust that all wise men will accept our excuse Of the Preface for this season here I make an ende In godly myrth to spend the tyme we doe intende The ende of the Preface An Enterlude of the Repentance Here entreth Infidelitie the vice Infidelitie WIth heigh down down and downe a down a Saluator mundi Domine Kyrieleyson Ite Missa est with pipe vp Alleluya Sed libera nos à malo and so let vs be at one Then euery man brought in his owne dishe Lord God we had wonderfull good fare I warrant you there was plentie of fleshe and fishe Go to I beshrew your heart and if you spare A gods name I was set vp at the hye deace Come vp syr sayd euery body vnto me Like an honest man I had the fyrst meace Glad was he that might my proper person see When we had dined euery man to horsebacke And so vp vnto the mount of Caluarie I trow you neuer heard of suche a knacke Muche woe had some of vs to scape the pillorie But when we came to hye Ierusalem Who then but I maister Infidelitie Mary I was not so called among them No I haue a name more nigher the veritie In Iurie Moysaicall Iustice is my name I would haue them iustified by the lawe It is playne infidelitie to beleue the same What then from the faithe I doe them withdraw There is one come into the countrey of late Called Christ the sonne of God the Iewes Messias Of the kyngdome of God he begynneth to prate But he shall neuer bryng his purpose to passe No I Infidelitie stick so much in the Iewes harts That his doctrine and wonders they wyl not beleue I warant that the chiefe rulers in these partes Will deuise somewhat his body to mischeue Infidelitie no beware of me Infidelitie Like as Faith is the roote of all goodnesse So am I the head of all iniquitie The well and spryng of all wickednesse Mary syr yet I conuey my matters cleane Like as I haue a visour of vertue So my impes whiche vnto my person do leane The visour of honestie doth endue As these Pride I vse to call cleanlynesse Enuie I colour with the face of prudence Wrathe putteth on the coate of manlynesse Couetise is profite in euery mans sentence Slouth or idlenesse I paint out with quiete Gluttonie or
mercy for my sake With the sinnes of the world be at debate and strife And vnto grace my heauenly father will you take All they whom the law condemneth for synne By faith in me I saue and iustifie I am come sinners by repentance to winne Christe speaketh to Mary Like as the Prophet before did prophecie Thou woman with mercy I do thee preuent If thou canst in the Sonne of God beleue And for thy former lyfe be sory and repent All thy sinnes and offences I doe forgeue Infidelitie Who is the sonne of God sir of whom do ye talke Which hath this power wherof you do boast It is best for you out of this countrey to walke And neuer more be sene after in this coast The sonne of God quod he This is a pride in dede Trowest thou that the father can suffer this They come of Abrahams stocke and holy sede And thou saiest that they beleue all amisse Christ. Auoide out of this woman thou Infidelitie With the .vii. diuels which haue hir possessed I banish you hence by the power of my diuinitie For to saluation I haue hir dressed Infidelitie runneth away Mary falleth flat downe Cry all thus without the doore and roare terribly Diuels O Iesus the Sonne of God euer liuing Why comest thou before the tyme vs to torment In no person for thee we can haue any abidyng Out vpon thee the sonne of God omnipotent Christ. Arise woman and thanke the father of heauen Which with his mercy hath thee preuented By his power I haue reiâ—cted from the spirits seuen Which with vnbelief haue thy soule tormented Mary Blessed be thy name O father celestiall Honor and glory be giuen to thee world without end O Lord doest thou regard thus a womaÌ„ terrestriall To thee what tong is able worthy thanks to repend O what a synfull wretche Lord haue I bene Haue mercy on me Lord for thy names sake So greuous a sinner before this day was neuer sene Uouchsafe therfore compassion on me to take Iesus Christ. Canst thou beleue in God the maker of all thing And in his onely sonne whom he hath sent Mary I beleue in one God Lord and heauenly kyng And in thee his onely sonne with hearty intent Good Lord I confesse that thou art omnipotent Helpe my slender beliefe and infirmitie My faith Lord is waueryng and insufficient StreÌ„gth it I pray the with the power of thy maiesty No man can come to me that is in me beleue Christ â–ª Faith repeÌ„taÌ„ce entreth Except my father draw hym by his spirite Behold Faith and Repentance to thee here I geue With all other vertues to thy health requisite Note well the power of Gods omnipotencie Faith That soule which of late was a place of deuils He hath made a place for him self by his clemencie Purgyng from thence the multitude of euils Repentance The mercy of Christ thought it not sufficient To forgeue hir synnes and deuils to pourge But geueth hir grace to be penitent That is hir soule euer after this day to scourge The vertue of Repentance I do represent Which is a true turnyng of the whole lyfe and state Unto the will of the lord God omnipotent Sorowing for the sinnes past with displesure hate That is to say all the inward thoughts of the hart And all the imaginations of the mynde Which were occupied euill by Sathans arte Must hence forth be turned after an other kynd Dauid my father on his synnes did alway thinke Howe horrible they were in God almighties sight Teares were his sustenance yea both meat drinke His hole meditation was in heauen both day night So that Repentance is described in Scripture To be a returnyng from syn with all the soule hart And all the life tyme in repentyng to endure Declaring the same with the senes in euery part As thus like as the eyes haue ben vaynly spent Upon worldly and carnall delectations So henceforth to wepyng and teares must be bent And wholly giuen to godly contemplations Likewise as the eares haue ben open alway To here the blasphemyng of Gods holy name And fylthy talkyng euermore night and day Nowe they must be turned away from the same And glad to heare the Gospell of saluation How God hath mercy on them that doe call And how he is full of pitie and miseration Raisyng vp suche agayne as by synne dyd fall The tong which blasphemie hath spoken Yea and filthily to the hurt of soule and body Wherby the precepts of God haue ben broken Must hence forth praise God for his mercy daily Thus like as all the members in tymes past Haue ben seruantes of vnrighteousnesse and synne Now Repentance doth that seruice away cast And to mortifie all his lustes doth begynne True repentance neuer turneth backe agayn For he y t laieth his haÌ„d on the plough loketh away Is not apt in the kingdom of heauen to raigne Nor to be saued with my sainctes at the last day Mary O Lorde without thy grace I do here confesse That I am able to do nothyng at all Where it pleaseth thee my miserie to redresse Strength me now that hence forth I do not fall Graunt me Lord suche a perfect repentance And that I looke no more back but go forward still Put my miserie euermore into my remembrance That I may forthinke my life that hath ben so yll Fayth The holy vertue of Faith I do represent Ioyned continually with repentance For where as the person for synne is penitent There I ascertain him of helth and deliuerance Wherfore I am a certaine and sure confidence That God is mercifull for Christ Iesus sake And where as is a turnyng or penitence To mercy he will the penitent take Faith therfore is the gyft of God most excellent For it is a sure knowledge and cognition Of the good will of God omnipotent Grounded in the word of Christes erudition This faith is founded on Gods promission And most clerely to the mynde of man reuealed So that of Gods will he hath an intuition Which by the holy ghost to his heart is sealed Repentance This Faith with the word hath such propinquitie That proprely the one is not without the other Faith must be tried with the word of veritie As the chyld is by the father and mother Iesus Christ. Yea truly if this faith do from Gods word decline It is no faith but a certayn incredulitie Which causeth the mynd to waÌ„der in strange doctrine And so to fall at length into impietie Faith The word to a glasse compare we may For as it were therin Faith God doth behold Whom as in a cloude we loke vpon alway As hereafter more plainly it shal be told Mary My heart doth beleue and my mouth doth publish That my lord Iesus is the sonne of God eternall I beleue that my soule shall neuer perysh But raigne with him in his kyngdom supernall Repentance The operation of Faith is not to enquire What God is as touchyng his
Lord Iesus of his great mercy Mary entreth with Iustificatiō To speake sentences here in my presence Of the which I haue no perfect intelligence The fyrst is Many sinnes are forgiuen hir sayd he Because she hath loued much meanyng me I pray you most holy Iustification Of this sentence to make a declaration Iustificaion A question right necessary to be moued For therby many errors shall be reproued It were a great errour for any man to beleue That your loue dyd deserue that Christ shold forgeue Your synnes or trespasses or any synne at all For so to beleue is an errour sanaticall And how can your loue desyre forgiuenesse of your yl Seing that the law it is not able to fulfill The law thus commaundeth as touchyng loue Thou shalt loue thy Lord God as it doth behoue With al thy hert with al thy soule w t al thy strēgth And thy neighbor as thy self He saith also at length There was neuer man borne yet that was able To performe these preceptes iust holy and stable Saue onely Iesus Christ that lambe most innocent Which fulfilleth the law for suche as are penitent But loue foloweth forgiuenesse of synnes euermore As a fruict of faith and goth not before In that parable which vnto you he recited Wherin he declared your sinnes to be acquited He called you a detter not able to pay Then your loue paid not your dets perceiue you may The forgiuenesse of your sinnes you must referre Only to Christes grace then you shall not erre Of this thing playn knowledge you may haue In these wordes go in peace thy fayth doth thee saue So by faith in Christ you haue Iustification Frely of his grace and beyond mans operation The which Iustification here I do represent Which remayn with all suche as be penitent Here commeth loue a speciall fruicte of Faith As touchyng this heare mekely what he saith Mary O how much am I vnto Iesus Christ bound In whom so great mercy goodnesse I haue found Not onely my synfull lyfe he hath renued But also with many graces he hathe me endued Loue entreth I am named loue from true faith procedyng Where I am there is no vertue nedyng Loue commyng of a conscience immaculate And of a faith not fained nor simulate Is the end of the law as Scripture doth say And vnto eternall felicitie the very path way This loue grounded in Faith as it is sayd Hath caused many euyls in men to be layd For where as the loue of God in any is perfite There in all good workes is his whole delite This true loue with Mary was present verily When to Christ she shewed that obsequie But this loue dyd procede from beleue When Christ of his mercy dyd hir sinnes forgeue Loue deserued not forgeuenesse of sinnes in dede But as a fruite therof truely it did succede Iustification Of this matter we might tary very long But then we should do our audience wrong Which gently hath heard vs here a long space Wherfore we will make an end nowe by Gods grace Praying God that all we example may take Of Mary our synfull lyues to forsake And no more to looke backe but to go forward still Folowyng Christ as she did and his holy will Loue. Such persons we introduce into presence To declare the conuersion of hir offence Fyrst the lawe made a playne declaration That she was a chylde of eternall damnation By hearyng of the law came knowledge of synne Then for to lament truely she dyd begynne Nothyng but desperation dyd in hir remayne Lokyng for none other comfort but for hell payne But Christ whose nature is mercy to haue Came into this world synners to saue Which preached repentance synnes to forgeue To as many as in hym faithfully dyd beleue By the word came faith Faith brought penitence But bothe the gyft of Gods magnificence Thus by Faith onely Marie was iustified Like as before it is playnly verified From thens came loue as a testification Of Gods mercy and her iustification Mary Now God graunt that we may go the same way That with ioy we may ryse at the last day To the saluation of soule and body euermore Through Christ our Lord to whom be all honor FINIS
propre nature But how good he is to vs to know faith doth desyre Which thing appereth in his holy Scripture Faith It is not inough to beleue that God is true only Which can neuer lie nor deceaue nor do yll But true faith is persuaded firmly and truely That in his word he hath declared his will And also what soeuer in that word is spoken Faith beleueth it as the most certaine veritie Which by his spirit he doth vouchsafe to open To all such as seke hym with all humilitie Repentance Christ the sonne of God here hath promised Forgiuenesse of synnes to you syster Mary Of his owne mercie this to do he hath deuised And not of your merites thus you see plainly If in this promise you be certain and without doubt Beleuing that the word of his mouth spoken He is able and also will do and bryng about Then that you haue Faith it is a token Mary O Iesu graunt me this true faith and beleue Lord I see in my self as yet imperfection Uouchsafe to me thy heauenly grace to geue That it may be my gouernance and direction Christ Mary my grace shall be for thee sufficient Goe thy way forth with faith and repentance To heare the Gospell of health be thou diligent And the wordes therof beare in thy remembrance Faith Though in person we shall no more appeare Yet inuisibly in your heart we will remayne Repentance The grace of God shal be with you both far nere Wherby from all wickednesse I shall you detaine Mary Honor praise and glory to the father eternall Thankes to the sonne very god and very man Blessed be the holy gost with them both coequall One god which hath saued me this day from SathaÌ„ Exeunt Christ I thank thee O father O lord of heueÌ„ earth of al That thou hast hidden these things from the sapient And hast reuealed them to the litle ones and small Yea so it pleased thee O father omnipotent All things of my father are committed vnto me And who the sonne is none but the father doth knew No maÌ„ but the sonne knoweth who y e father shold be And he to whom the sonne wil reueale and showe Come vnto me all you that with labor are opâ—â—essed And are heauy laden and I will you comfort Dispaire not for that you haue transgressed But for mercy do you boldly to me resort My yoake vpon your neckes do you gladly take And learn of me for I am lowe and meke in hart And you shal fynd rest for your soules neuer to slake My yoake and burden is light in euery part I came not into the world the righteous to call But the synfull persons vnto repentance The whoale haue no nede of the physition at all But the sicke haue nede of deliuerance Uerily I say vnto you that the angels Haue more ioy in one synner that doth repent Than in many righteous persons else Which are no sinners in their iudgement Here entreth Symon the Pharisie and malicious Iudgement Symon biddeth Christ to dynner Symon God spede you syr heartily and well to fare I reioyce much that I chaunce you here to fynde In good soth I was sory and toke muche care That I had no tyme to declare to you my mynde We know that you do much good in the countrey here Wherfore the liuyng God is glorified You heale the sicke persons both farre and nere Like as it hath ben credibly testified Christ. My father euen vnto this tyme worketh truely And I work according to his commandement wil The sonne can do nothyng of hym selfe duely But that he seeth the father doyng alway still Whatsoeuer the Father doth the sonne doth the same For the father doth the sonne entierly loue And sheweth him al things to the praise of his name And shal shew him greter works thaÌ„ these as you shal proue Malicioê° iudge Lo sir what nede you haue more testimonie You heare that he doth him self the sonne of God call Doth not the law condemne that blasphemie Commaunding such to be slaine great and small Symon For a season it behoueth vs to haue pacience I shewed you the reason wherfore of late At this season I pray you do your diligence And semble rather to loue hym than to hate Shall it please you syr this day to take payne With me at my house to take some repast You shal be welcome doubtlesse I tell you playne No great puruiance for you I entend to make Christ. My meate is to doe his will that hath me sent But syr I thanke you of your great curtesy To come to you I shall be very well content So that you will appoynt the houre stedily Symon All things be in maner ready I thinke verily In the meane season in my gardein we will walke Take the paines to go with me I pray you heartily Till dinner be ready of matters we will talke Christ With a good will I will waite vpon you Pleaseth it you to go before you know the way Symon Sirrâ— you see how that we are appointed now Make all thyngs ready without delay Malicioê° iudge Sir I will go about as fast as I may In good fayth I would that I might haue my will I would prepare for hym a galowes this day Upon the whiche I desyre his bloud to spill Infidelitie A vengeance take hym thefe is he gone From Mary Magdalene he did me chace From Symon the Pharisie he will driue me anon So that no where I shal be able to shew my face Malicioê° iudge Nay we are so surely fixed in the Pharisies mynde That his blasphemous words can not driue vs theÌ„ce Womens heartes turne oft as doth the wynde And agayne of the law they know not the sence In malice I haue made them all so blynde That they iudge nothyng in Christ aryght To the letter of the law so fast I do them bynde That of the spirite they haue no maner of light Infidelitie I will tell thee Malicious Iudgement His wordes be of suche strength and great power That the diuell hym self and all his rablement He is able to expell and vtterly to deuoure Malicioê° iudge Tushe hyde thy self in a Pharisies gowne Suche a one as is bordered with the coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts And then thou maist dwel both in citie and in towne Beyng well accepted in all mens iudgements Infidelitie As for a gowne I haue one conuenient And lo here is a cappe agreing to the same Malicioê° iudge As thou saiest that geare is very ancient I warant thee now to escape all blame Mary of one thyng thou must take good hede As nere as thou canst let him not behold thy face Doubt thou not but he shall haue his mede If I remayne with the Iewes any space Infidelitie And as for the reuerend byshop Cayphas With all the Aldermen of Ierusalem Will helpe to bryng that matter to passe For I am like for euer to dwell with them Malicioê° iugemeÌ„t The same Christ dineth with